"He Can Become Captain There": R Ashwin Picks Ideal Franchise For Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya reportedly on the radar of 5 IPL franchises© AFP

India all-rounder Hardik Pandya remains the most talked-about player of the Indian Premier League (IPL) trade window. Currently the captain of Mumbai Indians, Hardik is expected to leave the franchise, and it has been reported that five to six franchises are looking to rope in the sought-after all-rounder. Over the last couple of months, Hardik has been strongly linked with the likes of Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders, and even his former side, Gujarat Titans. Rumours suggested that Hardik's trade to GT fell apart due to his 'captaincy' condition. However, former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has claimed that a leadership role is no longer a criterion for Hardik.

In a video on his YouTube channel, Ashwin picked Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) as the ideal destination for Hardik, suggesting it is probably the only franchise where the Mumbai Indians man can also get the role of captain. In return, Ashwin feels the Knight Riders could trade Harshit Rana or Rinku Singh to Mumbai.

"KKR have great potential because Hardik can also become the captain there. They could offer Varun Chakaravarthy for him. But as long as Abhishek Nayar is there, I don't think Varun will move from KKR. Harshit Rana and Rinku Singh could be other options. With RR, it could be Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sam Curran, or Brijesh Sharma or Tushar Deshpande. It could also be Jaiswal with Yash Raj Punja or Bishnoi," Ashwin was quoted as saying by Sportskeeda.

Ashwin also made quite a bold call by suggesting that Gujarat Titans could be willing to trade Rashid Khan for Hardik Pandya with MI.

"MI desperately need an Indian keeper. They will also look to strengthen their bowling, which has been dismal over the last few years. PBKS with Omarzai could interest MI. No one is talking about GT, but they could get involved by giving Rashid Khan for Hardik."

While certain rumours suggest a total of six teams are in the hunt for Hardik, Ashwin said there are only five. He doesn't think Lucknow Super Giants are in the race to sign Hardik.

"There are as many as six teams in the battle for Hardik Pandya, is what I hear. But I don't think that's the case, as LSG aren't in the race. It's mainly CSK, KKR, RR, GT, and PBKS. I also think captaincy isn't a must for Hardik anymore in his next franchise. He will just want to go to the ideal franchise for him, as he's keen to move on from MI," said Ashwin.

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